Stanley Kubrick exhibition takes a splendid start
04 Oct 2006
On Wednesday 4th the prestigious Kubrick exhibition in the Caermersklooster was officially opened in the presence of Mrs. Christiane Kubrick, Kubrick's producer Jan Harlan, set designer Sir Ken Adam and many other prominent figures. Until January 2007 you can have a look behind the screens of Eyes Wide Shut, A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Lolita and other milestones in the history of film. After the successful venues in Berlin, Frankfurt am Main and Melbourne, Ghent has been granted the exclusive opportunity to host this unique exhibition in the Benelux.
The Stanley Kubrick Exhibition is a result of the coordinated efforts of the Deutsches Filmmuseum (Frankfurt am Main), the Deutsches Architektur Museum (Frankfurt am Main), Stanley Kubrick's wife Christiane, and the Stanley Kubrick Estate. Of the material provided on loan, 95% originates from the Stanley Kubrick Estate - the filmmaker's personal working archive and one of the largest private archives in the history of film, which was acquired by the Deutsches Filmmuseum in Frankfurt in 2003.
The world première of the exhibition commenced in Frankfurt am Main on March 31, 2004. It was followed by an exhibition in Berlin from January 20 to April 18, 2005. The exhibition in Melbourne closed on January 29 of this year. The Provincial Council of East Flanders and the Flanders International Film Festival-Ghent joined hands to organise the Kubrick exhibition in Ghent at the Caermersklooster.
This is the first ever presentation of Kubrick's entire output in a single exhibition, from his first short documentary Day of the Fight (1951) to Eyes Wide Shut (1999). A separate portion of the exhibition is devoted to each of his thirteen feature films. The themes of the exhibition arise from the central subjects of Kubrick's films. His visionary adaptations of influences from the worlds of architecture, design and contemporary art form a central focus in the portions dedicated to 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange. The 'ghost projects' Napoleon and Aryan Papers, which were never actually made, are also documented extensively for the first time
The exhibition includes numerous audio and visual installations, because the combination of original items and background information, documents, sound and film fragments helps clarify the films for visitors. There are even film takes with Sue Lyon, the leading actress in Lolita, that have never been shown before. The initially controversial reception of Kubrick's films and his experience with censorship are also described. The impact of music in Kubrick's films is another theme of the exhibition. Finally, visitors can use computer screens to browse through exact reproductions of original archive material.
All available films made by Stanley Kubrick will be shown during the 33rd Flanders International Film Festival - Ghent (October 10-21).